Chocolate sweets

The word "bonbon" comes from the French word "bon", meaning "good". So, literally translated, the word "bonbon" could be translated as "good". It is true that sweets, of one kind or another, are certainly good and are a favourite among children, but even adults cannot resist them.

The first chocolates

The first chocolates were made of melted sugar and, compared with today''s masterpieces, were rather primitive. They were made by chefs at the French courts, and even then children were crazy about them. Slowly, chefs began to realise that they could make these sweets even better and sweeter by adding different ingredients. So they first started using crushed hazelnuts, nuts and fresh or dried fruit to make the sweets. But they soon found that chocolate-coated sweets filled with different ingredients were so delicious that no one could resist them, whatever the price. Thus began the development of chocolates, without which many people today cannot imagine their lives.

Chocolates today

Today, there is a plethora of chocolates on the market. Chocolate masters are outdoing themselves and competing with both themselves and their competitors in this field. Both large chocolate companies and smaller chocolatiers have ventured into chocolate candy making. They have all found that customers simply love this chocolate confection. When it comes to making it, the only limitations are the imagination of the producers and the availability of ingredients.

There are also differences in the actual production of the chocolates.

Some manufacturers make the candies by dipping the mass that forms the inside of the candies in chocolate and then letting it all harden together. The disadvantage of this method is that the chocolate coating is not always the same thickness in all candies.

For this reason, other manufacturers, such as Godiva, have developed a method in which the mass and the chocolate are simply pressed into moulds. This produces candies that are the same size and the chocolate coating is the same thickness.

Chocolates can make a great gift

If you''re not a fan of shop-bought chocolates, you can of course make your own. As with all chocolate dishes, you can find plenty of recipes for this chocolate confection both on the internet and in various cookbooks and manuals. So you can make chocolates without filling, which some people also call "empty chocolates". Or you can have a bit of fun and fill them with a substance you or your friends like. Homemade chocolates can make a great birthday or Valentine''s Day gift. And after reading through the recipes, you will see that it is quite easy to make. All you need are moulds, melted chocolate and the ingredients to make the "mass" or filling for the chocolates. Don''t think you can do it? You''d be wrong. If you have a little bit of cooking skills, this chocolate venture won''t take you long, and the results will be delicious and, above all, very tasty.

As a point of interest, in Switzerland they have made chocolates covered in real gold. But don''t worry. You can eat these chocolates without worrying, because the foil in which they are wrapped is edible. Nine of these chocolates, made from high-quality Belgian dark chocolate, will set you back around €30 and come in a neat box.

Remember, whether bought or made at home, there is always more to chocolates than meets the eye. In fact, their insides are hidden from view and only a bite can reveal them. So the next time you decide to indulge in chocolates, close your eyes, bite into a chocolate candy and let the dreamy taste spread across your mouth.